Stony Hills

They had signs and they weren’t afraid to use them (below picture is a composite).

This was our birdiest field trip of the weekend, but most birds were heard rather than seen. We did start off with a nice Summer Tanager on a wire for all to see. Field Sparrows were singing, we heard a Wild Turkey gobbling off the trail, a distant Tufted Titmouse sang unseen in the forest, and everyone got really nice looks at a Great Crested Flycatcher.

This was our last excursion before the wrap-up lunch at Nauvoo State Park. We had some time to kill before heading to lunch so we stopped briefly at Nauvoo Flat Wildlife Sanctuary. From there we had a nice view of the river and saw two adult Bald Eagles, several American White Pelicans, a flyover (erratic!) Eastern Kingbird, and a very nice Palm Warbler.

It was a fun weekend and I’m looking forward to the next Illinois Audubon gathering!